Page 92 of All The Happily Ever Afters

When I backed away, her eyes stayed closed, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. “If you wanted… I imagine you could do whatever you wanted to me.”

“Is that you giving me permission?” I murmured in the cold dark night, knowing full damn well I was going to fuck her raw and hard. First against her car, with her breasts pressed against the metal and her skirt barely lifted. And then again back at her place.

This beautiful woman,easy prey and tempting in every way, came on my cock and kept me from making a mistake that night. She may have called me a God that night, but she was my savior.

SCARLET

At first, I felt like a whore. Not in the moment, but after. Once he’d gone and I could still feel him between my thighs, taking me like no man ever had.

Not that I was a virgin, but he was brutal, relentless, he was all consuming.

I slept with a man I didn’t know at all. One who chilled me down to the bone, yet with a single look lit every nerve ending inside of me on fire.

He didn’t even give me his name or a number. One night, he was mine and the next he was gone. I woke up naked, with both a noticeable ache and disbelief.

All he left behind was a note and a burner phone he must have bought while I was sleeping.

Use only this phone.My number is in the contacts.

He called himself Grim.I remember laughing when I saw his name under the contacts. There was no way it was his real name, but I liked it. It fit him. It suited what had happened.

The shame came shortly after. When I realized all I had was an old phone and a fake name.

The questions bombarded me and I hesitated to message him. I didn’t know what to say or how I felt about what happened.

It was everything and yet I felt like I was left with nothing.

I’d planned on not messaging him at all, but every night, I pulled the phone from the drawer of my nightstand and I debated it. Three nights passed before I sent the first message, if for no other reason than to know the truth.

Are you married?I asked him.

No. I don’t believe I ever will be.

It’san odd feeling that came over me, partly relief, partly sorrow.

Then why this phone?

I would rather not say. You may ask questions that I won’t be able to answer. I have secrets but what I do is to protect you. You need to know that and be okay with some of your questions not being answered.

Over a seriesof days and messages a number of things became clear.

I was right, he was a dangerous man.

More importantly, which he made clear in no uncertain terms: he wanted me.

And lastly, I wanted him as well.

Every doubt I had,he vanquished. It was as if he knew what I was thinking before I did. From the very moment I felt like what we were doing was wrong, he’d do something to prove I had no reason to worry.

Every night he wished me to dream of him.

Every Sunday he sent fresh red roses.

If I told him I missed him, he would tell me he’d come for me at a certain time, within the next day or so and he was always there. Exactly when he said he would be.

Even if he told me very little, every small secret he confided in me felt like he’d trusted me with his world and I did the same, telling him every secret I had, knowing he’d keep it.

It was like a trance, like some magical spell had been cast. One day this man laid his hands on me, showed me pleasure I didn’t know existed and told me I was his.

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